Hellenes Abroad / Greece

Greek stage director and actor Andreas Voutsinas, who served as acting coach to several Hollywood stars including Jane Fonda has died aged 79.

A Culture Ministry statement says Voutsinas died Tuesday in an Athens hospital. It said he directed more than 130 performances, and “the names he cooperated with are indicative of his artistic standing.”

Born in Khartoum, Sudan, in 1931, Voutsinas played parts in films such as Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” and “History of the World: Part 1,” as well as Luc Besson’s “The Big Blue.”

He directed Fonda in the brief Broadway show “The Fun Couple,” later describing her as “the only great love of my life.”